Awareness key to success in fight against TB and drug addiction: LS Speaker

New Delhi, Dec 15 (IANS) Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Sunday urged the Members of Parliament to make ‘TB Mukt Bharat’ and ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat’ campaigns a ‘Jan-Andolan’ and develop the spirit of healthy competition among themselves to make India free from Tuberculosis (TB) disease by 2025.

Inaugurating a friendly cricket match between MPs, across political parties, for raising awareness about the ‘TB Mukt Bharat’ and ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat’ campaigns at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi, Birla said, “Mass awareness and public participation are key to success in our fight against Tuberculosis (TB) and drug addiction.”

The Speaker highlighted the need for the eradication of TB and drug addiction for building a healthy society and evoked the spirit of ‘Healthy Competition’ where all the parliamentary constituencies will compete to become TB-free, leading to the goal of a TB-free India.

Birla underlined the responsibility of elected representatives in the fight against TB. He added that public representatives are expected to contribute to social programmes and government initiatives aimed at disease prevention and asked them to leverage their experience in dealing with illness prevention and post-illness care.

Birla mentioned that Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease that presents significant challenges and difficulties to the people, particularly the poor. He emphasised the need for a national resolve to overcome these challenges.

He noted that the World Health Organization (WHO) has set a global target of eliminating TB by 2030, but under Prime Minister Modi, India has set a more ambitious goal of eliminating TB by 2025. Birla added that in order to achieve this goal, the cooperation of all MPs is crucial, as they represent the 1.4 billion people of India in Parliament. The Speaker urged them to work with resolve to ensure India will become TB-free by 2025.

Observing that the initiative to eliminate TB has been raised by the Parliament, and it is the responsibility of the MPs to take it forward, Birla said that India’s democratic structure, from Panchayats to Parliament, involving all elected representatives, must work with complete determination to achieve this goal.

The 20-over friendly cricket match was an initiative of former Union Minister and MP from Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh, Anurag Singh Thakur to create awareness for making India free from TB and drug addiction. The Lok Sabha Speaker XI team was captained by Anurag Singh Thakur, while Rajya Sabha Chairman XI was led by Kiren Rijiju. The Lok Sabha Speaker XI team won by 73 runs. Anurag Singh Thakur was adjudged the Man of the Match for his not-out innings of 111 runs.

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